For startups · The DBD

The Doyle Blackfriars Diagnostic.

A structured read on where your company actually stands — commercially, operationally and through an investor’s eyes — and the single most valuable place to focus next.

Request Your DBD

What it is

Every engagement starts here.

The DBD is a short, intensive diagnostic that maps your business against the market, your competitors and the investors you will eventually face. It calibrates back to the state of your product development, market traction, team and growth abilities, giving a full 360 deep dive into your reality and the various pathways to growth.

The DBD kicks off every Doyle Blackfriars startup consulting engagement, and it decides how we can work together.

It is also valuable as a full synthesis on its own.

The Doyle Blackfriars Diagnostic process

Frequently asked questions

The DBD, answered.

The DBD is the diagnostic that kicks off a DB Consulting engagement. It helps us understand where you are and which pathway — Path to PMF or Fundraising Prep — makes sense for you. If we go on to a full engagement, it opens with a deeper, more in-depth diagnostic that builds on it.

It is best calibrated for earlier-stage teams — typically Series A or younger — who want an honest, structured read on where they stand and where to focus next.

It is produced by Doyle Blackfriars’ in-house startup team — senior operators who have built, grown and scaled startups themselves, not outsourced analysts.

We request some information about your business up front, which is covered by an NDA. There are no working sessions to schedule — once we have what we need, we put the assessment together and deliver it to you.

A written assessment delivered to your team, including our recommendation on the realistic growth pathway we would take you down, based on your goals and where you genuinely are.

Yes. You can request a DBD as your company evolves — within reason — until you are ready to proceed with a full engagement.

There are no working sessions, so the timeline is driven by how quickly you can share the information we ask for. Once we have it, we prepare and deliver the assessment to your team.

The DBD is offered for a small, flat fee. The cost of the DBD can be credited towards a future DB Consulting engagement.